"The First Basket" Arriving on DVD June 9, 2009

A “perception-altering new documentary.”
-Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

“The First Basket is more than a triumphalist screw-you to those who think Jews don't play sports...David Vyorst's clear-eyed, jaunty documentary briskly walks us through the history of American Jews in basketball.”
-Ella Taylor, The Village Voice

“An entertaining and informative sports doc that should find considerable exposure on cable channels after its theatrical run...its wonderful personal testimonies and wealth of archival footage provide a much needed sports history lesson.”
-Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

“An important historical document...engrossing and fun.”
-Lewis Beale, Film Journal International

“Comprehensive and entertaining...The First Basket is a rare documentary that not only provides context...but also is fun to watch.”
-Peter Ephross, The Jewish Daily Forward


THE FIRST BASKET, The Greatest Jewish Basketball Documentary Ever, Debuts on DVD June 9th


Did you know that a Jewish kid from New York scored the first basket in the NBA? THE FIRST BASKET follows the little-known history of Jews and basketball at the beginning of the 20th century. Laemmle / Zeller Films will release THE FIRST BASKET on DVD, streeting June 9th.

When Ossie Schectman, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, made the first basket for the New York Knickerbockers back in 1946, who knew it was the precursor of today’s NBA? For Jewish immigrants, especially youth, sports played an important role in helping them assimilate. By the 1920s, almost all urban Jewish neighborhoods had a basketball team. When these teams evolved into professional leagues by the late 1940s, Jewish players and coaches led the way.

Though basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, MA, the game spread like wildfire through turn-of-the-century New York settlement houses and proved a perfect fit for urban Jewish kids. By the 1920s, basketball had become a staple of life in American Jewish communities, and many of the top teams grew out of these neighborhoods. THE FIRST BASKET is the first comprehensive documentary to examine both the role that Jewish players had in the evolution of the game and the impact that basketball played in the assimilation of American Jews. THE FIRST BASKET explores the profound influence that these Jewish pioneers had on the evolution of basketball as it grew from a game played with ash cans on tenement steps to the second most popular sport in the world.

In THE FIRST BASKET, writer/producer/director David Vyorst and narrator Peter Riegert explore the little-known, yet very important, Jewish history of the game. Chock full of vivid anecdotes and distinctive characters, the film brings back famous as well as unsung basketball legends such as Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Dolph Schayes, Red Sarachek, Barney Sedran, Eddie Gottleib, Abe Saperstein, Ossie Schectman (that above-mentioned kid from New York who scored the eponymous First Basket), Ralph Kaplowitz, Sammy Kaplan and many more. These legendary players of professional basketball became role models and heroes to generations of fans and changed the face and perception, to this very day, of Jews in all athletics.

The DVD of THE FIRST BASKET contains the film’s original theatrical trailer.

http://www.TheFirstBasket.com

http://www.LaemmleZellerFilms.com